The last time senior wrestler Olivia Shore completed a full season, she won Tiffin University its first women's national championship as a first-year, at the 2022 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship (NCWWC).
However, Shore was sidelined by two injuries for both her sophomore and junior years. Now that she is healthy again, this season could be a repeat of her first season.
Shore is currently the top-ranked wrestler in the nation in the 103 pound weight class, according to The Open Mat. Shore finished the regular season with a record of 18-1 and is now headed to the NCWWC.
Head coach Chris Kline said Shore's determination and confidence are what makes her so good.
“Olivia grew up wrestling boys, so it was not always easy, but she believes she can win every time she steps on the mat," Kline said.
Shore has a long history of success on the mat. She’s won state titles in high school, has experience wrestling for Team USA and became the first girl to place in Ohio’s boys state meet.
But it all began when her brother, Graham, needed a wrestling partner.
“I have five brothers, and I was pretty athletic as a kid, and just liked to do what the boys did,” Shore said. “My brother needed a partner, and my dad was like 'We’ll take her to a practice, and she can train with him a little bit and she’ll end up wanting to quit.' But I really liked the training aspect and the physical-ness. And after that first practice, I was just hooked.”
When Shore was around 4 years old, she entered her first tournament and wrestled against boys, and she won it all. Wrestling against the boys continued even when Shore attended Miami East High School. She became the first female wrestler to place at the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) boys state meet, finishing sixth in the 106 pound weight class in 2021.
While these were accomplishments for Shore, she had a bigger reason for wrestling at that state meet.
“We needed a movement to where women can wrestle women,” said Shore, who won her state titles against girls before girls wrestling was an official high school sport in Ohio. “It’s not fair, and it sucks. All the stuff I've been through, I don't want the kids I'm training with to go through that either. I got a meeting with the OHSAA and told them if I place at boys state, we need to have a girls league. I ended up placing sixth and the next year they had their own league.”
Along with winning the girls high school state meet, Shore was able to wrestle against girls as part of the U17 Team USA in 2017 and 2018. She traveled to Greece and Croatia, and she placed fifth at both world championships.
After her successful first-year season at Tiffin, Shore suffered a shoulder injury, resulting in her needing surgery and having to medically redshirt her sophomore season. Additionally, Shore got a new coach, which ultimately led to her decision to transfer out of Tiffin.
“My sophomore year, I planned on staying just to give him a shot. He just didn't really fit my vibe athletically," Shore said. "Just wasn't the type of coach I was looking for, but he’s a good dude. I actually have a brother that goes to Tiffin still, and he wrestles there, so all good blood over there.”
After Shore’s two years at Tiffin, she transferred to McKendree University in Illinois for her junior season, but a head injury kept her off the mat for the next 11 months. Shore decided to enter the transfer portal again.
“I just struggled being away from home for so long that I just didn't want to do it anymore,” Shore said. “I knew Otterbein was getting a program, and Coach Kline is just really awesome too. And so, it all kind of just worked out. I'm close to home and able to stay in Ohio.”
Now, at a new school with a first-year program, Shore hasn’t just returned to the mat, she has also taken on a leadership role as the only upperclassman on the team.
“It’s like having another coach in the room,” Kline said. “Olivia leads by example and the girls on the team really respect her. She has helped us set the tone in practice and for our program.”
“I try to be a good role model for them,” Shore said. “They definitely keep me humble and doing the things I'm supposed to be doing. I feel like I have a leadership and coaching mentality anyways because I want to be the best at everything that I do. They are all also like sponges: They want to know, they want to ask and they want to learn. So being able to help them and guide them through stuff is really cool to see.”
One of the ways she's trying to provide leadership is by reminding everyone that they don't have to be a superhero.
“My dad has always imprinted that into my brain because I’ve always had a lot of pressure my whole life to put on this persona of, 'You're a superhero,'” Shore said. “At the end of the day, we are all still human. We have hard and bad days, and taking that superhero cape off me and my team and making this stuff normal is something I want people to understand.”
Shore's commitment is shown not only in her leadership skills but also in her performances on the mat.
Shore is 18-1 this season and of those 18 wins, 12 have been by pin and three were by technical fall (a win by 10 or more points). She ended the regular season by winning the Quad City Invite in Illinois where she was named Most Outstanding Wrestler.
On Feb. 22, Shore and three other Cardinals qualified for the NCWWC. Shore won her 103 pound weight class with two pins and one 10-0 technical fall. In the final, she pinned her opponent in 1:35.
Shore will get another opportunity to demonstrate her prowess at the NCWWC National Championships, which will be held March 7-8 in Coralville, Iowa.
